Women make up half the world’s population but are featured in or heard in only about a quarter of news stories, according to a new global study that finds representation in the media has stagnated for more than a decade.
The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), released this week by the communication rights group WACC with support from UN Women, found that women accounted for just 26 percent of people featured or quoted in broadcast, radio, or print news in 2025. That figure has barely shifted in 30 years, rising only nine percentage points since the project began in 1995.
The study also found that racial, ethnic, religious and other minority groups make up only six percent of those featured across traditional and digital news worldwide. Of those, women account for just 38 percent. Fewer than one in 10 women seen or heard in the news come from a minority group.
Regional differences are stark: North American media come closest to parity, with women making up four in 10 subjects and sources, while Asia and the Middle East rank lowest, at just 19 percent.
The report comes as the global media landscape has been reshaped by technology, shifting audiences and new business models. Once-dominant legacy outlets now compete with digital and social media platforms, and governments exercise far tighter oversight over issues such as data privacy and content moderation. International collaboration on news production has become the norm. But amid these seismic changes, women’s visibility in the media has remained largely static.
The study found that progress began to flatline around 2010 and has stalled ever since. “Women remain only one in four people seen, heard, or read about in the news,” said Kirsi Madi, deputy executive director of UN Women. “When women are missing, democracy is incomplete.”
The findings also highlight persistent gender gaps in newsrooms. Women now make up 41 percent of reporters, compared with 28 percent three decades ago. Stories by female journalists are more likely to include women as subjects—29 percent versus 24 percent in stories by men—but the difference has remained within a narrow five- to six-point range for most of the past 30 years. The gap widened during the COVID-19 pandemic, before returning to five points in 2025.
Beyond visibility, coverage of women’s realities remains limited. Fewer than two percent of stories report on gender-based violence, and only two percent challenge stereotypes—figures the GMMP says are at their lowest levels since monitoring began. Women are also more likely to be quoted as eyewitnesses rather than experts, underscoring entrenched bias in who is considered authoritative.
“Thirty years of data reveal both the persistence of deep-rooted stereotypes and the need to radically change our strategies toward a more inclusive, representative journalism,” said Sarah Macharia, convenor of the GMMP Expert Group.
The report comes as world leaders mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality and enter the final five years of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“Women and girls deserve to see themselves represented in media and to have their stories told,” Madi said. “The responsibility now lies with governments, editors, platforms, and policymakers to make this equality real.”
GSV News Service
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